Andre Onana: Ajax goalkeeper banned for 12 months after failing drugs test

ByAlexander Netherton

Updated 05/02/2021 at 10:56 GMT

Ajax and Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana failed a drugs test in October 2020 and he has now been banned for a year from all forms of competitive football. The player argued that he mistakenly took a banned substance but has nevertheless been issued with the punishment. Ajax will now take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has been suspended for 12 months after failing a drugs test.

The Cameroon international took an out-of-competition test on October 30 last year, and banned substance furosemide was detected in his urine. The ban applies to all club and international football.

Onana’s club issued a statement on their website defending the player, saying:

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"On the morning of October 30, Onana was not feeling well. He wanted to take a tablet for that. Unconsciously, however, he took Lasimac, a drug that his wife had previously been prescribed.

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"Onana made a mistake about the product, mistakenly taking his wife's medicine, ultimately resulting in this measure taken by UEFA against the goalkeeper. In addition, the disciplinary body of the football association declared that he had no intention of cheating.

"However, the European Football Association believes, on the basis of the anti-doping rules in force, that an athlete has a duty at all times to ensure that no banned substances enter the body."

Ajax and Onana will appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Managing director Edwin van der Sar said: "We explicitly renounce performance-enhancing means, we obviously stand for a clean sport.

"This is a terrible setback, for Andre himself, but certainly also for us as a club. Andre is a top goalkeeper, who has proven his worth for Ajax for years and is very popular with the fans.

"We had hoped for a conditional suspension or for a suspension much shorter than these twelve months, because it was arguably not intended to strengthen his body and thus improve his performance."

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